Field
The present application is generally related to dental modeling, and more particularly to a system and method for matching virtual models of teeth in occlusive position.
Description of Related Technology
Physical and virtual dental models can be used, inter alia, to design orthodontic appliances, to plan or adjust movement of teeth with orthodontic appliances, and to finalize dental prostheses. Orthodontists, dentists, and dental technicians prefer that models of the upper and lower jaws can be viewed in the bite position.
Aligning virtual models of upper and lower jaws in an occlusive relationship currently uses three impressions: (1) a bite impression including occlusal surfaces of the upper jaw on one side and occlusal surfaces of the lower jaw on an opposite side; (2) an impression of the upper jaw including occlusal surfaces of the upper jaw; and (3) an impression of the lower jaw including occlusal surfaces of the lower jaw. Stone models or plaster casts produced from the impressions of the upper and lower jaws may be simultaneously scanned or imaged with the bite impression placed therebetween or as aligned by the bite impression in order to produce virtual models of the bite position, for example as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,979,196 and 7,362,890, each incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The stone models may also be scanned or imaged individually to produce individual virtual models of the upper and lower jaws. One procedure for aligning virtual models of upper and lower jaws in an occlusive relationship involves scanning or imaging four surfaces (each side of the bite impression, the impression of the upper jaw, and the impression of the lower jaw), and then matching the features of their occlusal surfaces. However, the large number of cusps, ridges, etc. can unduly complicate such matching procedures. Additionally, scanning the surfaces of these four impressions can be time consuming and/or costly. Another procedure involves moving the virtual models around until the amount of overlap of the upper and lower jaws is minimized. However, such procedures do not necessarily produce an accurate occlusive relationship.